The abundant life

Colossians  3:12b - 15a

you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace.

The perfect dress. They have reality television shows dedicated to helping hopeful women find and "Say Yes" to the perfect dress. The most beautiful hair and make up, the loveliest flowers, the coveted venue, the lavish decorations, the perfectly decadent frosted dessert.  Women look forward to their wedding day with the greatest of anticipation and desire.  

Ezekiel 16:8-14

And when I passed by again, I saw that you were old enough for love. So I wrapped my cloak around you to cover your nakedness and declared my marriage vows. I made a covenant with you, says the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine.

 “Then I bathed you and washed off your blood, and I rubbed fragrant oils into your skin.  I gave you expensive clothing of fine linen and silk, beautifully embroidered, and sandals made of fine goatskin leather.  I gave you lovely jewelry, bracelets, beautiful necklaces,  a ring for your nose, earrings for your ears, and a lovely crown for your head.  And so you were adorned with gold and silver. Your clothes were made of fine linen and costly fabric and were beautifully embroidered. You ate the finest foods—choice flour, honey, and olive oil—and became more beautiful than ever. You looked like a queen, and so you were!  Your fame soon spread throughout the world because of your beauty. I dressed you in my splendor and perfected your beauty, says the Sovereign Lord.

Here God describes his tenderness and love for His Bride. Every bride desires to looked upon with such love and tenderness, to be comforted, protected and provided for, but also to be adorned with love. 

The 'average' wedding costs just under $27,000.00 these days!  Money spent chasing that perfect fairy-tale dream. As brides plan their wedding some become obsessed with the details. Someone coined the term "Bride-zilla" to describe a bride who is never satisfied, to describe a woman for whom enough is never enough.  She has the most beautiful dress, but argues over the quality of her shoes, the loveliest hair, but nit-picks her make up.  These brides aren't just doing their best to plan a most memorable day, they struggle with discontentment. Making their bridesmaids, mothers, even their future spouse miserable all for the sake of have the 'perfect' 12 hour day.  

Not all of us will be brides, not all of us will have children, not all of us will own a home, not all of us will have a great career - each of us have a path before us - each path is different, but the question is the same.  Can we be content with the path before us? . 

Jill lost her job today. After years of loyal and excellent service at her accounting firm she was laid off with no notice. Her boss asks her to clean out her desk, Jill asks "Is this any way to treat a loyal employee?!?!" All the way home she stews over her bosses just letting her go without so much as a weeks notice.  She mutters to herself about stopping at the grocery but decides against it because she thinks she probably won't find a job any time soon so she had better save some money! She pulls in the drive and slams the car into park.   Her elderly neighbor is out in her garden, she waves and calls "Hi Jill"  Jill just huffs into the house and changes into her sweat pants. She spends the next 4 hours calling, texting or messaging her friends to tell them how awful her day was and how her ex-boss is the biggest jerk on the planet.  She goes to bed angry and wakes up in a foul mood the next day. 

Jennifer worked next to Jill.  After years of loyal service she too was laid off, but instead of becoming angry and defensive, she remains calm.  Jennifer knows, knows it in her soul, that in all circumstances God has a plan.  Because Jennifer knows this she doesn't spend time and energy on anger and upset, but immediately starts thinking "Hmm, If I am being laid off here, God must have another opportunity ready for me, I had better go find it!"  Jennifer stops by her bosses office one last time before leaving to ask if he could recommend a job at another firm. She realizes that he looks very stressed himself, but a look of relief washes over his face as Jennifer asks.  He thinks a minute before pulling a card out of his desk and writing something on the back.  "This is a friend of mine who works in HR at a company across town, you might try them?"  Jennifer thanks him and leaves.  On the way home Jennifer stops by the grocery to pick up a few things.  At the checkout Jennifer is friendly to the cashier and notices they have a help wanted sign in the office window.  She inquires with the cashier who tells her the position isn't really at the store but in their accounting department. Jennifer stops in the office and speaks with the store manager before leaving, he gives her the contact information for the position and spends a few minutes talking with her about her qualifications.  Jennifer gets home a little later than usual because traffic was bad and she is pretty sure her ice cream is a melted mess, but she puts away the groceries and then hops online to complete the online application and resume submission for the grocery accountant position.  Then she emails the friend of her old boss to inquire about any openings before eating dinner and then calling a friend. On the phone, Jennifer doesn't ridicule her boss or complain but rather explains that she lost her job today and asks for some prayer.  Before she hangs up her friend mentions she thought she saw something at her work about their accounting department hiring, she will look into it and call her tomorrow with the details.  

What if I also told you that Jill and Jennifer go to the same church, participate in the same Bible study. A few summers ago their single ladies Bible study focused on the themes of thankfulness and contentment. 

 Jill heard about contentment and thankfulness and dismissed it as a Pollyanna view of the world that has no practical application in life other than mind numbing stupidity.  Jill would call herself a realist.  

Jennifer heard about contentment and thankfulness and decided that she was going to try this radical way of living by trusting God for every need and seeing every circumstance as God opening a door and changing life, however painful it might be, to the better. Jennifer would call herself a believer.

To the Jill's of the world I say this, I used to be Jill. All that anger and discontentment didn't make me any more real, it just made me a lot more depressed.  Embracing despair doesn't make a situation better, ignoring good things in your life doesn't lighten your load.   Discontentment typically leads to sin.  Major, life changing, horrible consequences, sin. 

Ezekiel 16:16-20

You used the lovely things I gave you to make shrines for idols, where you played the prostitute. Unbelievable! How could such a thing ever happen?  You took the very jewels and gold and silver ornaments I had given you and made statues of men and worshiped them. This is adultery against me! You used the beautifully embroidered clothes I gave you to dress your idols. Then you used my special oil and my incense to worship them.  Imagine it! You set before them as a sacrifice the choice flour, olive oil, and honey I had given you, says the Sovereign Lord.

 “Then you took your sons and daughters—the children you had borne to me—and sacrificed them to your gods. Was your prostitution not enough? 

Contentment isn't just an ideal, it's a state of mind, a conscious decision not to flip out when things don't go our way. Contentment is a conscious decision to remain faithful to God's calling and path for our lives in the midst of our circumstances.  These aren't just cliche phrases.  They are the power to live life abundantly. 

Paul's path led to a jail cell after years of faithfully serving God.  Paul had every reason to be discontent, yet Paul sat in his cell writing letters of encouragement to the believers around the known world and he writes 

Philippians 4:11- 13

"Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.  I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength."

In another letter Paul writes

1Timothy 6:6-8

 Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.

But it isn't just Paul who encourages us to be content in our circumstances, Jesus also taught us to be content and revealed that through hard times come great rewards

Matthew 5:3-12

“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,
    for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
 God blesses those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
God blesses those who are humble,
    for they will inherit the whole earth.
God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice,
    for they will be satisfied.
God blesses those who are merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
God blesses those whose hearts are pure,
    for they will see God.
God blesses those who work for peace,
    for they will be called the children of God.
God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,
    for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

“God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way."

Paul has one more bit of advice

Galatians 6:14

 As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died.

Paul finds his contentment, and his glory, in Christ and because of that the desire for everything else, the discontentment, has been crucified with Christ.